Guidance for exporting NI cattle, sheep or goats to shows in GB
Exporting requirements for sheep
Sheep must have been continually resident in Northern Ireland for at least 30 days immediately prior to the date of export to the Show.
The following DAERA paperwork is required to accompany sheep to the show:
- export health certificate (obtained from your Authorised Veterinary Inspector)
Exporting requirements for cattle
Cattle must have been continually resident in their holding of origin in Northern Ireland for at least 30 days immediately prior to the date of export to the Show.
All cattle must have undergone a TB test within 30 days of export to Great Britain.
The following DAERA paperwork is required to accompany cattle to the show:
- export health certificate (obtained from your Authorised Veterinary Inspector)
- passport(s)
Requirements for importing/re-importing cattle, sheep and goats from export approved shows or sales
If your animals are not sold or you purchase cattle, sheep or goats which originated in NI, the DEFRA issued Export Health Certificate must accompany the animals on their return to NI in addition to a copy of the original export health certificate that travelled with the animal to the show or sale.
On arrival in Northern Ireland, the animals must be moved direct to their place of destination as shown on the health certificate. All unsold cattle returning back to the herd of origin or cattle purchased which originated in NI must be housed in isolation for a minimum of 30 days and subjected to a Tuberculosis test during that time. The test should be carried out at the herd-owner’s expense and the animals remain under restriction until a clear test has been completed. Please note, a minimum of 42 days must have elapsed since the date of the previous Tuberculosis test.
Guidance for exporting sheep to cross-border shows
Exporting from Northern Ireland
The Show premises in the Republic of Ireland must be approved as an EU Assembly Centre and operating to those standards. It is the responsibility of the exporter to verify the status of the Show premises before beginning the export process. Sheep must not stay at the Show premises for more than 6 days.
Sheep being moved to a show must be certified in accordance with the normal requirements for intra-community trade in breeding animals.
Please note that all sheep must be either from a Scrapie monitored flock or of genotype ARR/ARR.
Residency requirements
- female breeding sheep must have been continually resident on their Holding of origin for at least 30 days immediately prior to the date of movement to the Show: and
- rams must have remained on their holding of origin for a continuous period of 60 days immediately prior to the date of movement to the Show.
- rams must have been blood tested (with negative result returned) for Brucella Ovis within 30 days prior to the date of movement to the Show.
- no sheep or goats should have been introduced onto the holding of origin during a period of 21 days immediately prior to the date of the Show unless they were moved into a DAERA approved Export Isolation Facility (EIF).
NB: If sheep have attended Shows within Northern Ireland or Great Britain, their residency begins again from the date they move back into the flock.
The following DAERA paperwork is required to accompany sheep to the show:
- Export Health Certificate (ITAHC) - obtained from your private Veterinarian (Authorised Veterinary Inspector (AVI))
The owner should complete a TRACES Application form (TRACES EXA NI) and an Owner’s Declaration which must be submitted to their AVI. The AVI must examine the animals within 24 hours of scheduled departure and the animals travel to the ROI with the export health.
Returning to Northern Ireland
Sheep re-imported from a Show must be accompanied by their original intra-community health certificate (ITAHC). The original certificate must be endorsed by the signature of the official veterinarian in attendance at the show, together with the official stamp, and date of endorsement. In addition, a certificate of non co-minglement must be issued by the official veterinarian for the show in the ROI within 24 hours prior to return stating that the animal showed no clinical signs of disease and had not been in contact, during its stay at the show, with animals of a lesser health status. This certificate should be presented to your local DAERA office on arrival back into NI to enable the animals to be re-imported into your herd on APHIS.
A Specific Import Licence is not required.
TRACES: A Traces message is required for movements both to and from the show.
Guidance for exporting cattle to cross-border shows
Exporting from Northern Ireland
The Show premises within the Republic of Ireland must be approved as an EU Assembly Centre and operating to those standards. It is the responsibility of the exporter to verify the status of the Show premises before beginning the export process. Cattle must not stay at the Show premises for more than 6 days.
Cattle being moved to a show must be certified in accordance with the normal requirements for intra-community trade in breeding animals. Cattle travelling to the ROI to attend a Show do not require fully packed 14 digit ear-tags.
- cattle must have been continually resident in their holding of origin in Northern Ireland for at least 30 days immediately prior to the date of export to the Show. (Please note that if cattle have attended Shows within Northern Ireland or Great Britain, their 30 day residency begins again from the date they move back into the herd).
- all cattle must have undergone a TB test within 30 days of export to the Show.
The following DAERA paperwork is required to accompany cattle to Show:
- Intra Trade Animal Health Certificate (ITAHC)
- MC2L movement licence and Cattle Passport(s)
All of these should be obtained from your Authorised Veterinary Inspector (AVI) after they have carried out a clinical inspection of the animals within 24 hours of their departure to the show.
To initiate the process the owner should complete a TRACES Application form which must be submitted to their local AVI. The AVI will need to obtain a Veterinary Service Support Certificate from DAERA through eAVI and an Owner’s Declaration from the owner.
The AVI will need to confirm the export to the show on APHIS and send a TRACES notification.
Returning to Northern Ireland
Cattle re-imported from a Show in the ROI must be accompanied by the original Intra trade animal health certificate and passport(s). The original certificate must be endorsed by the signature of the official veterinarian in attendance at the show, together with the official stamp, and date of endorsement.
In addition, a certificate of non-cominglement must be issued by the official veterinarian for the show in the ROI within 24 hours prior to return stating that the animal showed no clinical signs of disease and had not been in contact, during its stay at the show, with animals of a lesser health status. This certificate should be presented, along with a completed MC2 movement document complete with confirmation sticker, to your local DAERA office, on arrival back into NI and this will enable the animals to be re-imported into your herd on APHIS.
A Specific Import Licence is not required.
Earlier in the year Northern Ireland was awarded the highest Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) status, designated negligible Risk ( NR) status. This was in recognition of the efforts by the Agri-Food industry and DAERA to control BSE. As a result of this enhanced status there is a reduction in the amount of materials, previously considered a risk to the food chain, (Specified Risk material) for disposal.
This will apply to cattle born and exclusively reared in Northern Ireland.
To identify animals that do not satisfy this condition CR status will be applied to those animals on APHIS. All animals imported into Northern Ireland or which have left Northern Ireland and subsequently returned, will be given CR status.
The CR status will apply to animals that have left Northern Ireland to attend shows in Great Britain or the Republic of Ireland. In order to have the CR status removed the animal must satisfy one of the two conditions below and the herd keeper must sign the declaration below:
If the animal has not been outside NI for more that 24hrs, the herdkeeper must sign part a of the declaration
If the animal has resided outside NI for more than 24hrs and less than one week, then part b of the declaration must be signed to confirm that animal has been fed on feedstuffs that originate solely from within NI or another NR country
If the animal satisfies the above conditions, the completed declaration must be sent your local DDO, for removal of the CR status.